Hookup Guide
Schematic
Datasheet (ACS723)Product Overview
The SparkFun Current Sensor Breakout is a high-accuracy solution for measuring low-to-moderate AC and DC currents. Built around the ACS723 chip, this board is designed to measure current up to 5A with a base sensitivity of 400mV/A. Whether you are monitoring the draw of a small motor or checking the efficiency of a battery charger, this sensor provides a safe, reliable way to obtain the data you need.
The Hall Effect Advantage
Unlike standard current sensors that use a shunt resistor in-line with your circuit, the ACS723 uses a Hall-effect sensor. This offers a critical safety advantage: Electrical Isolation!
The circuit being sensed and the circuit reading the data (your Arduino) are electrically separated. This means your 5V microcontroller remains safe even if the circuit being sensed is operating at much higher voltages. Additionally, because there is no physical resistor in the path, there is minimal voltage drop and heat generation.
Tunable Performance
We have designed this board to be flexible enough for different noise environments and speed requirements:
- Low Noise (Default): Out of the box, the bandwidth is filtered to 20kHz. This reduces noise at high gains, giving you cleaner readings for standard applications.
- High Speed (Selectable): Need to capture faster signals? By closing the JP1 jumper on the back of the board, you can bypass the filter and recover the sensor's full 80kHz bandwidth.
